A really nice learning environment

PUPILS at Kington St Michael CE Primary School near Chippenham are the first in the UK to take their seats in a Norwegian Log contemporary modular classroom.

The building was made and built off site at Norwegian Log's Berkshire manufacturing base in four modular sections. Erected in just two days on the school grounds and so causing minimal disruption to staff and pupils, it boasts a fully-fitted 45m² classroom, lobby and two toilets and is now home to the school’s Year 2 and 3 class.

The striking wooden building has the same durability, acoustics and natural thermal insulation of a traditional log building but with the added bonus of a modern design twist.

Finished in a natural silver wooden hue with large roof lights and windows, the Wiltshire classroom is flooded with natural light and sits on the edge of the school’s grounds. Head teacher Tracy Cornelius said: “We wanted a building that would fit in to the school at the end of our field and look in keeping with the rural surroundings. We also wanted it to be smart, not like an old-fashioned mobile classroom, and to be a permanent fixture that would last.”

The new building has proved a hit with pupils. “The children love it. It has a fantastic atmosphere, a really nice learning environment and the pupils appreciate how lucky they are to have it,” she added.

It has also solved a space issue at the over-subscribed school, rated Outstanding by Ofsted, which has grown rapidly from 76 pupils just eight years ago to 120 currently. “We’ll now be able to redevelop other areas of our school into a music room and library so the building is helping not just one class but the whole school,” Tracy said.